2022 had everything going Max's way. A new engine (HRC - then Honda) and an Adrian Newey designed car. Newey is a a step above, and then add his experience designing ground effect cars. Betting against him in retrospect would've been foolhardy. Mercedes also lost a lot of key personnel to Red Bull powertrains. (That's the business of F1, I'm not implying anything bad about Red Bull hiring the best personnel on offer.) Mercedes had to be on the back foot once gardening breaks started. I'd also say the cost cap prevented both Ferrari and Mercedes from converging on performance. I'll note the Ferrari looked liked the top package at season start, and Red Bull made significant gains during the first quarter of the season. (And, Ferrari made a bunch errors....)
That noted, Max still had to drive the car. He showed great speed throughout the year. He also consistently beat Checo. The unresolved question is what level of barre was/is Checo? He didn't set the world on fire at McLaren all those years ago. He probably would've been out of F1 if it were for the sponsorship wonga he brings to the table during the late middle of his career. It also has to be recongised he's had marginal machinery at best post McLaren until the Red Bull call.
A reasonable question to ask: Would Sainz have achieved the same results if he had been given the call from Toro Rosso over Max back in the day?
I do appreciate a lot of what Max brings to F1. He's obviously talented, unites a country, and has a somewhat impudence I find entertaining. The reason I'm not a Max fan is it's rare to see an overtake of him without contact. Both Schumacher and Senna were more egregious. Both raced when the rules were different, so things like DRS and providing space weren't things back then. One could make the case MS helped formulate the need for the new rules.
Like him or loathe him, Lewis has nothing to prove in a formula car. Russell is universally recognised as talented, and it's unclear of his gamble of a Mercedes contract will lead him to more success than had he jumped ship. The Hamilton/Russell thing is fun to watch. Russell did a surprisingly good job in his first year. Lewis had a rough start and eventually got it together. I think it's less than 60 days until we see "Round 2" of this competition start.